The Role of Family in Romeo and Juliet, and The Taming of the Shrew
Shakespeare treats families throughout his plays as the center of action – it is often that family members causes each other the greatest amount of pain and the greatest joy. In his tragedies, it is family, almost universally, that either by direct action (Hamlet), inaction (Richard III), or insinuation (Othello), hands the protagonist their great defeat. In Romeo and Juliet, the families of the eponymous characters bring tragedy to their children in all three manners. Romeo, the youngest son of the Montague family, and Juliet, the youngest daughter of the Capulet family, are victims of their families’ pride and of a feud with no identifiable beginning, and no purpose for continuing. In The Taming of the Shrew, the rules of family, that the oldest daughter be married before the next, and that the wife is the property of the husband, come into play and direct much of the comedy. In both, playing to or against the rules results in different effects, and demonstrates that Shakespeare had a firm grasp upon the real power and meaning of family in both metaphor and reality.
Pages: 5
Bibliography: 2 source(s) listed
Filename: 16924 Shakespeare Romeo Shrew.doc
Price: 44.75
Our custom writing service is so popular it creates raving fans every time we write!
Or call our Exclusive Order Taking Hotline at 1-866-935-SALE!
